Supporting an Immigrant Family by Ken & Julie Oates
Julie has been supporting an Afghan family, the Momands. The Momands are a family of six: a mother, three sons and two daughters. The eldest son, Aziz, worked for the US forces as an interpreter until their withdrawal. Because of Taliban reprisals, they can no longer live in Afghanistan, and Julie has been financing their life as undocumented immigrants in Pakistan, which has been deporting all Afghans back to Afghanistan. She has also been coordinating getting US visas for them, which has involved enlisting the help of Senator Cantwell to push through red tape. Yesterday (the day the new administration stopped all refugee arrivals in the US) Julie and Ken picked up five of the six family members at SeaTac after Julie managed to get visas for 5 of the 6 and arrange flights in the nick of time. Unfortunately, due to a mix up about her date of birth, the younger daughter was forced to stay behind. The family had to make the decision of staying together and all of them being forced back to Afghanistan to watch the oldest brother go to prison and perhaps face execution or to split up and save five of the six.
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This photo shows the sons, LaZada, Aziz and Wahid. Their mother Malalai and sister Shakela asked not to be in a shared photograph according to their Muslim beliefs.
Ken is asking the sangha to consider donating to Julie’s efforts. She has spent more than $40,000 of her own money on this project. Attached is a link to a crowd fund Julie has set up.
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